Top Grade to miss Riccarton meeting

Press, 26 March 1980, Page 23

Top Grade to miss Riccarton meeting

From J. J. BOYLE in Nelson Top Grade, winner of the Caltex Gold Cup at Nelson yesterday, would have done his Easter racing at Riccarton if the Canterbury Jockey Club’s programming of its major races had been the! same as in recent years. j But the C.J.C.’s decision! to bring the Great Autumn Handicap (2500 m back to; ! the first day of the meeting | in a switch with the George Adams Handicap (2000 m | reads strangely to Top Grade’s connections. The five-year-old will now do his Easter racing at the Feilding meeting at Awa-I puni, with the Hawke’s Bay meeting to follow. j “I can’t see why Riccarton should put on the longest! race of the meeting on the) first day and then ask us to bring a horse back to 2000 m on the final day,” Top Grade’s Otaki trainer, Ken Thomson, said yesterday. i “The logical sequence! would be the George Adams! on the first day as a lead up! to the longer distance of thej Great Autumn.” The former Canterbury horseman, David Walsh, improved a rewarding partnership with Top Grade in the first leg of the Nelson Jockey Club’s T.A.B. double! yesterday. Walsh rode Mr Alex New-1 man’s Aristoi gelding in hisj first three victories, and the) combination’s record is now' four wins and two seconds) in as many starts. I “He was just bolting on I the home turn,” Walsh said after Top Grade triumphed as a hot favourite yesterday. Walsh had planned his race to keep in close touch with Varnamo and his task was eased when the Nelson Cup winner slipped and lost

close to three lengths leaving the starting gate. j Instead of being in front straight away, and able to ! dictate the pattern of the! race on Varnamo, Ron Tay-' 1 lor found himself engaged in a battle with Toiato up; ■! front, and a lively pace it I i was. i Toiato had had enough before the ho’me turn, but) )there was no respite fori ) Varnamo. He immediately | came under pressure from, |Top Grade, which had been: cruising along earlier in the! third line showing no signs| I of pulling with such a solid's jpace. jl I Top Grade came to the)

-front immediately on straightening and the only remaining question mark over the race was whether I Sousa would pull out enough to peg the favourite back. Sousa gave it a good try, ; but Top Grade kept him Out I safely by half a length. Top Grade ran the 2000m' in 2min 1.55, a track record,! and the blistering pace off i the race was obvious in the i | straggling procession behind 1 ! the winner and runner-up. There was a gap of five (lengths to the third horse,j ! the Reefton-trained Oldtimer, I and a length and a quarter' to Country Mile. Sweet Melody was fifth,' and was followed in by Col-! fix, Father Lou, the fading Varnamo, Godspell and a weary Toiato. David Walsh improved his I good record on the course' by riding the Levin-trained! Septimus to a comfortable win in the Transport Nelson.' Handiap, second leg of the! T.A.B. double. I Walsh found the run of,' the race for the six-year-old Sobig gelding) He had ai 1 ready-made pacemaker, ink Giovanni and the win J’ favourite could not find any-' thing extra when Septimusj. was brought along for his'' challenge.

Colada, from Washdyke, and Peligro, from Ikamatua, also managed to outfinish Giovanni and fill the minor dividend-bearing places. Colda was a neck better than Peligro at the end, but the West Coast sprinter could have reversed those placings but for getting into cramped quarters briefly near the home turn. Giovanni was a battling but fading fourth. He might have lasted for a dividendbearing place had he escaped the attentions of Leruler in front.